A VISION FOR ADELAIDE 2 | A Vision for Adelaide INTRODUCTION On Saturday 9 February 2019, the Committee for Adelaide’s members, partners and supporters held a planning day to create a new vision for Adelaide, involving about 40 of our city’s finest thinkers from a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds. This paper captures these ideas. Designed to be a “living document”, this paper signals the start of a process, not the end, stimulating debate and sparking new thoughts. As custodians and champions of this aspirational vision, the Committee for Adelaide will continue to seek feedback, refining and reshaping it and helping identify the steps that can make it a reality. Our overarching vision for Adelaide is an “extraordinary, sustainable and vibrant global city that people from all over the world want to be a part of while those who live here are proud to call home”. With the release of this paper, we’re providing a platform to begin achieving this. THE QUESTION If you could wave a wand to magically manifest the most “extraordinary” city of Adelaide by the year 2030, how would you describe the key elements of your vision? This question prompted a rich discussion which captured numerous elements and while conversations were expansive, some common themes emerged. These have been captured under the following headings: • People • Place • Economy A Vision for Adelaide | 3 PEOPLE … it’s time to change our mindset For Adelaide to reach its full potential over the coming decade, a major shift in mindset is essential. We need to shake off the old “country town” mentality, stop apologising for who we are, and develop a strong and confident sense of self. We need to become mindful about what we say to ourselves and to others about our city; to excel in telling a positive new story and marketing ourselves to the world because we know our true value and worth. It’s time to transcend comparisons with Sydney and Melbourne: to see ourselves as a globally relevant city in which our products, inventions, intellectual property, and our people are highly sought after and readily invested in. Historically, we’ve been a city of firsts – a blue sky city. We need to own and celebrate this and recognise it as the perfect platform on which to grow. We need to promote our wins and accept failures as valued learning experiences. Right now, many people have it pretty good in Adelaide - perhaps too good. Because of this relative ease and comfortability, there seems to be a lack of urgency, almost a sense of complacency. We envisage Adelaide becoming a more youthful and diverse city, recognising that youthfulness is as much a state of mind as a stage of life. It embodies vibrancy and verve; is infused with energy and enthusiasm; oozes zest and creativity. And as we embrace this new state of mind, we become a city where young people can clearly see themselves and feel they are a valued part. As we adopt a more intentionally “cosmopolitan” mindset, stifling rules and regulations, once a signal of stagnation and an unwillingness to take risks, also become a thing of the past. We will be bolder and braver; focus more on the rewards and less on the risks. 4 | A Vision for Adelaide … our city cares Adelaide is a city built on relationships and networks. The future Adelaide we see is a city in which those relationships become a key determiner of everything and where “connection”, care and kindness are highly valued and regularly experienced across the entire city. As a result, there will be high levels of wellbeing in our people. We see a people-centred city full of happy, healthy and well-educated and engaged citizens. Trust is … we need more people (and high and we are “brilliant together”. People from to maintain our liveability) Adelaide tend to be civic minded. Community-led initiatives are common. Adelaide in a decade will be a magnet for migrants, innovators, professionals, international students We see a city that is diverse, culturally rich and and ex-pats returning with their families. They will inclusive, with strong intergenerational networks, want to “come and launch here” and stay. Our city that welcomes and celebrates its migrant past and will flourish with more people across the suburbs, future while caring for its most vulnerable, such as particularly in the CBD where the population could solving homelessness. Honouring our Indigenous easily double without significant detrimental history is also important to us. impacts. As a reflection of this city of the future, we foresee We see ourselves reaping the economic benefits our political system evolving too with more diverse of growing our population. We know that people representation of our community in Parliament. make a city and ours will flourish with more; generating greater excitement and vibrancy. And we foresee this growth as being carefully planned, balanced and sustainable. We will maintain our “boutique” flavour as a city and retain the things that make Adelaide so liveable such as ease of movement, the ability to form meaningful networks, our connectedness and affordability. A Vision for Adelaide | 5 PLACE Imagine a city where it’s “Mad March” all year around; where there is music on the streets; where people have so much choice when it comes to things to do. Imagine a city full of quality buildings where heritage is celebrated. Imagine a vibrant and connected city hub and a CBD where priority is given to electric and hydrogen vehicles as part of the sharing economy. Imagine Adelaide as the greenest city on the planet; a place that is liveable, sustainable and resilient. Sustainability and vibrancy are key elements of our vision with the potential for Adelaide to be a global trailblazer in green cities. Energy, water, waste and mobility will all reflect our commitment to sustainability. Being a city in a park is one of our most important selling points. Adelaide in 10 years will more fully utilise our parklands while protecting them - our city will become a velodrome through them. Creating local urban village environments from the north to south, giving communities their own sense of identity and improving public transport, particularly in the extreme northern and southern fringes and across suburbs providing greater connection, are also critical. We see the richness of our diversity reflected in the additional “cultural hubs” which will spring to life surrounding our Chinatown district. Better city planning across the entire metropolitan area will ensure that as a city, we will expand our population without losing the elements of our city that we love. 6 | A Vision for Adelaide ECONOMY Innovation, creativity and a world-class education system are critical for our economy to thrive. Existing innovations in agriculture, energy, defence and mining and emerging developments in space have given us the potential to enhance our credentials in the knowledge-based economy providing spinoffs for other industries and to take full advantage of this, our education system needs to change. Better academic outcomes, including world-class universities, better commercialisation of research and ideas and greater investment in our teachers, as well as embracing the future of work and creating people who can “build it, scale it and stay” will be essential. We see reskilling and training as vital as well as an education system that provides the people with the skills and knowledge needed for our industries to thrive. We foresee efforts to better connect young people to emerging and future opportunities and remove hurdles to doing business. Inward investment will also be key to achieving the future Adelaide we envision, with Lot Fourteen playing a major role. To create the future Adelaide we see, we need to shake off our “government town” mentality. It’s economically unhealthy to have government as our largest employer. While government is an essential stakeholder in our city’s vision, it should be a supporter, not a driver. Our vision will transcend political cycles. A Vision for Adelaide | 7 P HI D RS IV E E D R A S E E L & W SUSTAINABILITY P E FOR OUR R SUSTAINABILITY PEOPLE O N FOR OUR PLACES G SHAPING R ADELAIDE’S E S FUTURE S I V E I D E SUSTAINABILITY FOR A OUR ECONOMY S Our vision for Adelaide is an extraordinary, sustainable and vibrant global city that people from all over the world want to be a part of while those who live here are proud to call home 8 | A Vision for Adelaide THANK YOU The Committee for Adelaide would like to thank the following people who gave up their valuable time on a weekend to participate in our planning day, representing businesses, community groups, education institutions and government: James Blackburn Pricewaterhouse Coopers (Pwc) Morna Young Thomas Foods Graham Brown Baptist Care SA Vincent Ciccarello Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Matt Clemow Social Policy Solutions Christie Anthoney Festivals Adelaide Andrew Culley Deloitte Rasa Buckley Returning ex-pat Albert D'Aloia Committee for Adelaide Valdis Dunis The Solar Project Penny Gale The Next Age Khadija Gbla Speaker and Advocate Colin Goodall Various Boards Martin Haese Former Lord Mayor Leah Grantham University of Adelaide Mia Handshin Facilitator Mena Muecke Sight for All Karyn Kent Study Adelaide Katrina Quinn University of South Australia Daniels Langenberg EcoCaddy Demitra Ritossa BHP Bill Spurr Premier's Economic Advisory Council Matt Sherwell Santos Denise Von Wald Wellbeing of Adelaide Youth Ian Smith Bespoke Approach Alison Surjan Morton Philips Jodie van Deventer Committee for Adelaide Lester Wynne-Jones Westpac Jani Baker ACH Helen Connolly Commissioner for Children and Young People Peter Fuller Fuller Communications Mark Goldstone Adelaide City Council Leon Gouws Hames Sharley David Homburg Hassell Grant Law Grant Law PR Hendri Mentz Deloitte David Paterson Social Capital Andrew Suttie RLB Tricia Walton Carclew A Vision for Adelaide | 9 MEMBERS Our members represent a broad cross-section of South Australian businesses and organisations with a stake and belief in the future of South Australia.